


you're in this photo, daddy

by arabellagaleotti



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen, Grief/Mourning, Hurt Tony Stark, Kid Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Peter Parker & Morgan Stark Friendship (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Has Issues, Wakes & Funerals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:41:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25799095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arabellagaleotti/pseuds/arabellagaleotti
Summary: “You're in this photo, daddy,” Morgan says from behind him.“Gonna have to be more specific, kiddo,” Tony says, focused on the peanut butter sandwich.OR,Remember that photo of Tony and Peter from Endgame? Yeah.
Relationships: Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe) & Tony Stark, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 12
Kudos: 160
Collections: genuinely made me cry





	you're in this photo, daddy

It’s dark and they’re out at the lake house, Tony’s making Morgan a snack before he sends her back to bed. 

“You're in this photo, daddy,” Morgan says from behind him. 

“Gonna have to be more specific, kiddo,” Tony says, focused on the peanut butter sandwich. Half the photos in this room have him in. 

Morgan climbs down from the counter and walks to her father, holding up the framed photograph to the light. “Who's that?” she asks innocently, pointing at the other boy in the photo.

Tony turns from the sandwich and is wholly unprepared for the emotional gut punch. He clears his throat and looks at that framed picture, the one with the grinning boy holding his stupid certificate upside down, the boy who’d had his whole life ahead of him before Tony got involved and fucked it up. “That, Morgan, is Spider-Man.” such a simple explanation, and it doesn't convey all that Peter was. 

“He’s not in his suit,'' Morgan says, and one finger reaches out to trace his smiling face.

“You’re right. He's not in his suit. He's like daddy, you see? I'm Iron-Man in my suit, but then I take it off and I’m daddy again.”

“So who's he?” Morgan asks, “When he's out of his suit,” she clarifies. 

Tony feels a lump grow in his throat, and his voice comes out paper soft, like he might rip in half. “He's Peter Parker.'' Morgan is still staring fixedly at the photo, but she turns her little head and makes eye contact with him. “He was just a little older than you,” Tony continues hushedly, like they are at church, whispering in the pews, “and he became a superhero. All by himself.” 

“All by himself?” Morgan gushes.

“Yeah,” Tony nods his head. Should he be talking about this?

“Wow.”

He laughs. Yeah, he should. Morgan should know about Peter. 

“Where is he now?” She looks back at the photo, as if it will tell her. 

“Uh —” and Tony cannot finish his sentence, he cannot utter the words. Tears gather at his waterline, and as he blinks they escape. God, he's crying in front of his kid. 

“Why are you crying, daddy?”

He doesn't -- he can't do this. It's been years, he knows, and May doesn't even call anymore, like she did, in the beginning, to cry or rant or just talk, but it's too fresh. He has to, though. Morgan should know about him. “Because, sweetheart, he meant a lot to me, and he’s gone.”

“Did he get dusted?” All the kids her age know about the dusting. It’s part of life, monuments and memorials, adults talking about it.

“Yeah. He did.”

“What does being dusted feel like, daddy?”

“I don't know, honey.” He thinks about the look on Peter's face and he remembers the answer.

Pepper comes down the stairs and sees them there, tears on Tony's face, the photograph in Morgan's hand. 

“Morgan, you should be in bed, young lady!” she scolds and Morgan laughs, abandoning the photo on the counter and scampering past Pepper and up the stairs to her bedroom.

“Are you okay?” Pepper asks once Morgan is out of earshot. 

Tony sighs. “Yeah. just...you know.” Yes, Pepper does know. 

“It wasn't your fault, Tony. It was all chance.”

“I know, Pep. It still..it still hurts.” Tony closes his eyes and sees it all over again, Peter staggering towards him, clinging to him like he's his only hope, and he remembers watching him fade under his hands. 

— 

It's a sunny day. Such a nice day and everyone looks so lovely in black. It's respectful and nice, and everything Mr Stark would want, but Peter hates it vehemently. He can't drown out the buzzing in his head. 

It was after the ceremony where pepper floated the first arc reactor out to...lake, and they’re all inside now, chatting, drinking, eating little horderves. Peter's in the corner, because he doesn't really know half the people here and now doesn't feel like the best time to know them. He’s staring off to space, when a little body runs to him and tugs on his pant leg. “Spider-man!” she yells.

Peter looks down, and it’s Morgan. Morgan, Tony’s daughter. Oh. 

“Hi,” he says, because he doesn't know quite what else to say. People are looking around at them.

“My daddy told me all about you,” she says, “Peter Parker, ‘n you became a superhero all by yourself.”

Peter kneels down to her height. “Uh, yeah. At first, then your dad helped me out a lot.” 

She smiles. "Daddy helps a lot of people." Peter swallows, and he doesn't know if he should correct her tense, but then she switches tact quickly, “What does being dusted feel like?”

He blinks. He can’t tell her the truth. “Oh, it feels...it feels like floating away to sleep after a long day. Do you know that?” She nods, shyly. “Good, then you know what it feels like.”

“You wanna see the picture?” she says suddenly, switching topics again.

“What picture?” Peter asks.

“You ‘n daddy,” Morgan says and leads him over to a high shelf, pointing at a framed photograph.

“Me and…” the breath is punched out of him when he sees what Morgan’s pointing to. Him and Mr Stark, holding his SI internship certificate upside down like the idiots they are. Peter’s grinning like he's been given a million dollars, and Tony's wearing his purple glasses, and they’re both bunny ears-ing each other. Oh, god, he forgot about this. He was so unbelievably happy in that moment. 

He reaches to grab it from the shelf. Mr Stark had this, on his shelf. He remembered Peter. _He remembered him,_ and that quells the doubts lurking in those shadowy corners of his mind, that Mr Stark didn't care, he didn't give him a second thought. He did. He cared. 

Morgan makes a strange sound and she's doing a weird little dance beneath him. She sees him looking and giggles. 

“Thank you, Morgan, for showing me this,” he says thickly.

She shrugs. 

“Hey, Peter,” Pepper says, gusting into Peter’s (and Morgan’s) corner of the kitchen. “Morgan, baby, stop bothering Peter!” she says playfully, and scoops her into her arms.

“He’s Spider-Man!” she squeals to her mother.

“Yeah, he is,” Pepper says, “but how about we visit Uncle Happy and we see Peter later, huh?”

Morgan nods dutifully, Pepper gives him that little look as she’s carrying Morgan away, the one that says  _ hello, I'm sorry to be seeing you here, but I’m glad to see you.  _ He smiles sadly back in response.

It’s just how it is, now. Smiling sadly at everyone and wishing things were different. Maybe that’s just him. 

He’s glad he met Morgan, he thinks, as he looks down at the photo in his hand. 

He’s so glad he met them. 

  
  



End file.
